Serial killers claimed 32 in CO; Best scenic drives for summer; Colorado snubbed in 'best places' report; Popular event at risk; and More

[00:00:04] Welcome to another episode of the OutThere Colorado Podcast. Once again, I'm Spencer here with Seth. Hello. We got Tim over there in the booth doing the video and the audio for today. And once again, a lot of interesting Colorado things to chat about. The midweek special. The midweek special. Man, did you see... So, I just got finished writing about this. Did you see that Colorado got snubbed again in the U.S. News & World Report Best Places to Live report? That report keeps changing. It does. You know, it used to be you could expect to see the U.S. News & World Report Best Places to Live report. It does. You know, it used to be you could expect to see the U.S. News & World Report.

[00:00:34] I see some stuff on there, but... Yeah. Your home state of Indiana is representing pretty good, right? Yeah. Indiana took the top two spots with Carmel and Fishers, which are like in that Indianapolis area. Of course. Both nice places. But yeah, the top six spots this year. So, you have Carmel in one, Fishers, Indiana in two, Flower Mound, Texas in third, Ankeny, Iowa in fourth, Johns Creek, Georgia, fifth best, and then in sixth, Hoover, Alabama. Yeah, I know Hoover, Alabama. So... This is the first time

[00:01:04] I think maybe the majority of the top five. I don't feel like I've heard of two or three of those. Right? Exactly. No offense to them. Yeah, and that was my thought. And you think... So, in 2024, two years ago, Colorado Springs ranked third. Yeah. Right? Colorado Springs wasn't even in the top 250 this year. Yeah. That same year, Boulder ranked fourth. Boulder not even in the top 250 this year either. A shifting metric maybe? Pretty wild stuff. Shifting metrics?

[00:01:29] So, just to get it out of the way too. The top ranking Colorado spot was Parker, which ranked 87th. That was a little bit of a jump. Parker ranked 192nd last year. So, this is really the second year in a row where Colorado has been snubbed. But yeah, when you look at the metrics, cost of living and affordability are really heavily weighted in this. So, of course, Colorado gets impacted by that. But weren't they heavily weighted a year, two years ago?

[00:01:58] I mean... Two years ago? Right. Well, Colorado has gotten more expensive in the last three years. But has it gotten that much more expensive? And I think a big factor too is you've got a lot of places competing. So, it's a very tight race, so to speak. Yeah. So, it's easy to have a drop if you have a few of those metrics, you know, change a little bit year over year. But yeah, I mean... We still love Colorado.

[00:02:20] Well, and when I'm thinking about it too, I'm like, hmm, Colorado's expensive. Why do we think it's expensive? Because people want to live here. Because it's a great place to live. Yeah. Like, ultimately. So, it's like almost the same reason. Right. Like, why it's expensive. Self-fulfilling prophecy kind of thing? Yeah. So, it's like it's never going to perform well on a ranking of best places to live. Because it is a best place to live. Yeah. And people want to live here. So, the prices go up. Yeah. So, it's kind of a ridiculous situation.

[00:02:49] Yeah. Whenever those lists comes out, I try not to wrap my head around them too much. Because I usually can't wrap my head around them. We love Colorado Springs. Yeah. I love Colorado Springs. Yeah. You ever thought about, like, whenever this list comes out, I always think about what would be some other great places in Colorado to live? Mm-hmm. You ever thought about that? I mean, you know. I mean, you could... I probably wouldn't necessarily go to the Eastern Plains as much.

[00:03:13] But I think, you know, a lot of people can understand that. I'm sure there are some great attractions. Maybe we'll get into that in this podcast episode in terms of what you can do out on the Eastern Plains. Yeah. But, I mean, otherwise, throw a dart out aboard, man. Like, in the mountains, I could be happy anywhere in Colorado. I could be happy anywhere in Colorado, pretty much, you know? Love Fort Collins. Love Boulder. I mean, I think about the front range. In terms of the major cities, yeah. Yeah. I think about the front range just because you and I are being transplants with family elsewhere in the country that I've always thought about, man, I got to be able to get on a plane, you know? Mm-hmm.

[00:03:42] As much as I admire, like, mountain life, logistically, it wouldn't make sense for me. Yeah. Yeah. I mean... I'd like to think so. Yeah, right. I mean... Buena Vista, Salida. Easy shot to Colorado Springs Airport, you know? Yeah. I hadn't thought about that. I'll chat with my friend that's up in Steamboat Springs, and it's like, anytime they want to go to a show, I was trying to convince them to come down to Colorado Springs for a show. It's an ordeal. It's hours of driving, you know? Or go to Costco. Hours of driving. Like, they have to do their... But Costco is always worth it. Yeah. Yeah. It's... Yeah.

[00:04:13] I live 10 minutes from Costco. I don't even have a membership, but he's like an hour and a half or whatever it is. Yeah, man. I mean, in terms of front range cities, I do love Colorado Springs. Everyone that's been listening knows that. I would probably pick Colorado Springs over any other spot. City and mountains. But yeah, man. I mean, Fort Collins, if you're looking at cities of similar size, you know, similar amenities, Fort Collins would probably be my second pick. Really like that downtown vibe there and just kind of the... It feels like it's like a bustling...

[00:04:42] Yeah, bustling culture. Outdoor access. Outdoor access. Good beer. Water. Close food. Yeah. Good. Really good food. Good events also up in Fort Collins. That'd be a cool spot. Golden maybe, but I think Golden being right on I-70... It gets busy. It gets busy. And that would be maybe my concern there. But like I said, hard to go wrong, you know? A lot of really cool Denver suburbs too that I don't know enough about. So it's hard for me to really chime in there. But you're good things.

[00:05:13] Yeah, Morrison would be cool. It'd be cool. Anyway. Yeah, anyway. Got off on a little bit of a tangent there. A little bit of a tangent, but I think... Manitou Springs. That's a fun place to live. I know. There you go. And I was about to throw a segue in there to Manitou Springs. I already got your segue taken care of. If you beat me to it, I was going to talk about how much more crowded Colorado Springs is getting. Yep. And how these events that are really popular are getting more and more crowded too. Maybe too popular. Yeah, maybe too popular. Tell us what you know, Seth.

[00:05:37] So there's a head-turning headline in the Gazette today. Manitou Springs coffin races in jeopardy due to security concerns. So the conversation came up at a recent city council meeting in Manitou Springs about the Emma Crawford coffin races, which you and I both know. Hopefully a lot of people in Colorado know about these coffin races.

[00:06:01] One of the weirdest, coolest, I would say, events, annual events in Colorado honors this legend of Emma Crawford, whose coffin supposedly washed down from Red Mountain into town. And for decades now, there's been this tradition in funky little Manitou of this funky, not so little event where people dress up in costumes and race coffins, so to speak.

[00:06:29] They're kind of different sort of contraptions down the main street there, and people line up in hordes around the street and fill the bars and restaurants. And it's just a super festive time to celebrate Halloween, every Halloween, of course, when this happens. Paying homage to how her coffin came off the mountain. Yeah, right. So, yeah, the conversation is happening in City Hall right now about has this event gotten too big?

[00:06:56] Police there are indeed worried about that very question, feeling like it's outgrown their capabilities. Maybe there's some solutions there. Maybe there's some ways to bring in some additional enforcement. It sounds like that conversation is happening, but at the same time, the conversation is happening about can this continue? Can we continue to host this annual event?

[00:07:22] Obviously, there's some obvious concerns from the business community there, concerns from just folks living in town who know this represents Manitou. You know, every Halloween, they have this crazy thing to look forward to that kind of puts the town on the map in a lot of ways. And I'm seeing about 10,000 plus people attend this event. Is that right? That's some of the numbers I'm seeing on here.

[00:07:46] According to Google AI, somewhere in the ballpark of 8,000 to 15,000. Okay. Yeah, I haven't seen those estimates in a while. But, yeah, it looks like it. It looks like 10,000 visitors last year right around there from the Gazette reporting. Yeah. Yeah, I'm seeing a Rachel Riley report from the Gazette in 2016 that said at least 10,000 people. Sounds like it's been around there. Yeah.

[00:08:08] So, yeah, and this is reminiscent of what happened to a similarly funky festival in a similarly funky town of Nederland, right? The Frozen Dead guy days there. Similarly morbid festival. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That outgrew that town and is now in Estes Park. Mm-hmm. Could that be the fate of the Emma Crawford coffin races? Something to follow along. No decisions being made right now.

[00:08:36] It sounds like conversation is going to continue between officials in the months ahead. So, something to watch. Man, if they move it, I mean, they have a really good road for it in Manitou where it's like the nice gradual grade. Mm-hmm. As entertaining as it might be to see that happen on like Ridge Road in Garden of the Gods, that's what pops in mind. That super steep road. Wow. Or something like that. You know, it's going to be hard to find the right road if they end up moving it. Yeah.

[00:09:03] To where you're able to like have that, you know, slightly scary but not totally unsafe grade. I haven't even thought about moving it, which I guess is this, it would be the sensible next question if they do decide we can't do this here anymore. Mm-hmm. But man, you know, I do it. I go like every year. Mm-hmm. I do go to this thing. I love it. I used to live in Manitou and I'd just be able to walk down to it. And the people watching is fantastic. It's about as good as it gets for people watching. Yeah. And that's one of those events. Everyone dresses up.

[00:09:30] That's one of those events where it's like every year I'll get like one or two texts from people that I haven't talked to in one or two years, you know? And they're like, hey, we got a group going. You want to go? Yeah. And they're like, hey, we got a group going. And they're like, hey, we got a group going. They're like, hey, we got a group going. We got a group going. We got a group going. And it's just, again, rooted in that legend of Emma Crawford, right? Who died at a terribly young age and, like we mentioned, was buried on Red Mountain overlooking the town. And legend has it, her coffin raced down.

[00:10:00] I mean, that is why it's in Manitou, right? I mean, can you move the Emma Crawford coffin races? Mm-hmm. I don't know. Can you move that to Tejon Street in Colorado Springs? Yeah. More feasible, right? Not as Steve would think. I guess you got to push, right? You're pushing the whole time and get a little bit more help on, what is it, Pawnee? Or no. What's the main street in Manitou called? Manitou Avenue. Yeah, Manitou Avenue. Okay. Yeah.

[00:10:30] I don't know. We'll see. Yeah, that'll be something I pay attention to. Like I said, I mean, it sounds like this city council meeting merited a lot of folks from the business community who came out and talked about how important this was to them. You know, kind of getting into that off season in October. Yeah. One last big boost ahead of Christmas, you know? So, that'll definitely dominate the conversation, I would think.

[00:10:57] Also worth noting, too, with Emma Crawford, she's kind of like a picture of why people were coming to Manitou Springs from a historical standpoint. Not just because this entire story related to her coffin. But she came because she had tuberculosis, if I remember correctly, and the mountain air of Manitou Springs and that crisp, clean mountain air was said to better health conditions and the mineral spring waters there.

[00:11:22] And so, interesting role that she played in history, too, you know? Kind of being that poster child for that appeal, you know? And I think this was back in, what, the late 1800s, yeah, like the late 1880s. Yeah, interesting stuff. One great festival to hopefully can stay on the map this year or stay on your calendar this year. Let's keep it a little bit morbid. I've teased this topic. I've teased this topic for weeks now.

[00:11:55] History fascinates me, right? So, anytime I find a story about Colorado's past that I haven't heard before and that I think other people haven't heard, I just can't help but share it. And this one has a Chicago tie, too. Oh, this is for me, huh? A very loose Chicago tie, but there is a Chicago tie. So, let's talk about serial killers, right? Okay.

[00:12:16] It's pretty easy to make the claim that the first serial killers that were active in the United States, including its territories, right, were killing people in Colorado. People often refer to H.H. Holmes as America's first serial killer. Yeah. Devil in the White City, I think, is the book that's written about him. He had the murder castle in Chicago. But that being said, these killings in Colorado were taking place when H.H. Holmes was only two years old, back in 1863.

[00:12:48] Guessing no one has heard of these people, but they go by the Espinosa brothers. I've heard them. Two of them. I've heard that name. Plus a nephew. So, two of them, eventually a nephew. One of them got killed by law enforcement and the nephew joined the cause. But basically, all of this is kind of unfolding in 1863 after the Mexican-American War, right? So, America had essentially gained all of this new territory from Mexico.

[00:13:16] There were a lot of Mexicans still living in this territory. The sources for this story, too, I've got to say, or at least a story about the Espinosa brothers, varies quite a bit depending on what source you're looking at. I was able to track down three pretty legitimate sources, very legitimate sources, we'll say. And all of them did have some of these details, you know, hit or miss, we'll say.

[00:13:41] But essentially, in the years after the Mexican-American War shook out, this older brother, Felipe Espinosa, moves to Colorado in 1858. So, at the time, he was in New Mexico previously and then came up into the San Luis Valley area, kind of that southern San Luis Valley area.

[00:14:04] A few years later, his brother follows him and they're kind of living this, like, homestead farming life where there's a lot of poverty in the area at the time. And they're kind of forced to allegedly or potentially be robbing people for money. Eventually, they rob, I believe it was a priest who was headed to a mission in New Mexico. It gets reported. Authorities show up. And long story short, there's a shootout. One of the authorities dies.

[00:14:31] And from that point on, kind of the springtime of 1863, they go on this run. Eventually, it looks like they would end up, based on journals that were found, it looks like they killed 32 people across Colorado. And you're looking at places like Canyon City, the Ute Pass area near Colorado Springs, going up to Fair Play, other places along the way. San Luis Valley as well.

[00:14:59] And all of these killings took place in a matter of a few months, right? So it's like every other day or so, like you see some of the reports and it's like they're just killing people, moving on, killing people, moving on, killing people, moving on. Most of the people that they killed were people in like the mining area where it's remote, you know. Think of like the Western image of like encountering strangers on the road and people don't walk away type of situation. The killings were brutal too.

[00:15:28] Like one report said that this second killing, I believe it was in Canyon City, a man had his heart hacked out of his chest. So with an axe. So like very brutal, very vengeful killings. Then you start digging into the motive of these killings, right? And this is another aspect of the story that varies depending on who you ask. What it seems to boil down to, though, is some sort of a revenge, right?

[00:15:53] Either revenge for family members that were killed in the Mexican-American War, revenge for this house being seized and losing their property, or revenge just for the general treatment of Mexicans that were living in this newly established American territory at the time. Either way, though, they did find one in one of the encounters. One of the brothers was killed and they found a note on his person that said his goal was to kill 600 whites as part of this greater mission.

[00:16:22] Some reports say that they had six family members killed. So it was 100 white settlers per family member. But either way, this was like this massive sort of manifesto where they're going around and killing people just for several months, really. And just terror is rising in this Colorado region because no one really knows who's killing these people. Eventually, they kind of pinned it down to the brothers.

[00:16:49] But these killings just keep happening and no one can stop it. It wouldn't be until October of 1863 when Tom Tobin was called in. He's a pretty famous fur trapper and tracker and kind of just a mountain man. But he was called in to help solve this problem. He ended up really pretty easily being able to track down the surviving brother and the nephew in the area of La Vida Pass, right?

[00:17:18] Apparently, he saw some birds overhead is how the report goes and was able to find their camp. Both of them were killed by him. The account varies in detail, whether it was a shootout or potentially some sort of a trickery where he got them drunk and then slit their throats. But either way, the two surviving Espinosa's, the brother and the nephew, were killed in October of 1863.

[00:17:45] And that is when they found Felipe's journal that said 32 people had been killed. So wild story, gruesome story. But yeah, I mean, it looks like this would be the first account of serial killings by the accepted definition today taking place in what is now the United States. So, yeah. That's a crazy story. Crazy story.

[00:18:12] Yeah, I'm like going through this transcript from the, there's another great podcast from Lost Highways podcast that History Colorado does. Yeah. And it looks like they got into this story too. And the backdrop of the, it sounds like the San Luis Valley land grant kind of loosely related to this and that very deep and complex history. And a family story is what it kind of sounds like this is too. A very complex and seemingly dark family story. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:18:37] And I mean, essentially what I was reading was people were promised that they could keep their land after the settlement of the Mexican-American War. As it would turn out, settlers started moving onto their land and squatting essentially. So that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and including the Espinosa's, but also, you know, far reaching outside of that. Yeah, for sure. I mean, that is a legacy that reaches into today.

[00:19:06] I mean, the wrong that that was, the blatant wrong that that land represented. I mean, reaching across the valley today, you know, for sure, for indigenous and original people there. Yeah. And I mean, we were talking about it last week, but the San Luis Valley in general, you know, it has a history of some of the oldest settlement in modern, in Colorado's modern era, we'll say. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

[00:19:29] Um, where you did have, like, you still have massive Spanish and Mexican influence in that region and in a beautiful way, too. Yep. Neat. Yeah. I mean, at least there's some, there's a mention of beauty and diversity at the end of that very gruesome tale. You just don't know. Yeah. Yeah, right. But yeah, definitely something to look into. I'm good. I don't think I want to. I was so fascinated with it that I did actually just buy a book off of- Did you?

[00:19:59] Off of, I think I got it on Amazon, but Season of Terror, the Exponosis in Central Colorado is the title of that. Mm-hmm. Your morbid curiosity is far beyond mine, brother. Yeah, I also, I mean, I also read a lot of, if I'm reading generally at home, you know, it's a nonfiction history book. Yeah, like, yeah. Did you ever read The Wager by David Graham? I haven't. Oh, dude. Check that out. You'd love that. You'd love this guy's writing, man. David Graham.

[00:20:25] These are nonfiction books about mysteries and obsession and stuff like that. And, I mean, you think you're reading fiction. The way that this guy's able to report and get distant, far distant histories back to the modern surface is just amazing to me. And this is a story about a doomed voyage. Very cool. You'd love that. Yeah, I'm looking at it right now. It came out, what, a couple years ago, maybe? Yeah, one book that I did read recently, I might have mentioned it on here. Yeah.

[00:20:55] But Empire of the Summer Moon. Yeah. Have you heard about that? I think I read that a lot. Yeah. History of the Comanches. Yeah. Yeah. Really interesting look at that story. And, you know, it brings up a lot of things you don't hear people talk about. A lot, especially like how brutal life was in that Western region. Yeah.

[00:21:18] And then also just kind of the mindset of how Comanches lived their lives, we'll say, and the beauty in that. And, I mean, it was a fascinating book. I couldn't put it down. Yeah. Yeah. Totally. I remember reading that. Yeah. Written by S.C. Gwynn. So that's one to check out. Book recommendations. Yeah. But maybe we'll start that too. This is a very, you never know what you might get on this show. You never know. So, yeah, let's get into something else. So here's another topic that I wanted to chat about. Yeah.

[00:21:47] I was writing about this this week. And I started thinking in a lot of places around the country when you're traveling to a new city or something like that, the traveling aspect is really just kind of like a task that needs to be done in order to get from point A to point B. That's not the case in Colorado. You can always take a scenic route. Yeah. What are some of the best drives that people should include on their road trips this summer in Colorado?

[00:22:16] You know what comes to mind, bud? What comes to mind? The Alpine Loop. I think that was just the prettiest drive I've ever taken. Got to have the right vehicle, especially if you're getting into, this is not a commuter road, to be clear. This is a scenic, rugged route through the San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado. So kind of, you know, I did it from Lake City. Others kind of go in from Silverton. Right. What else does it connect to? Yuray? Yeah. Right?

[00:22:46] Those portals? I believe so, yeah. Those are the three forks there. Am I picturing that right? But like 63 miles connecting up to very rugged, very rough terrain along Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass. Again, you've got to have the right vehicle. A slow 63 miles. Yeah. You've got to have. Hours. It's an all day. Yeah. You've got to have the vehicle, the rig, and the courage, if you will. I think there's a lot of tour companies that'll take you up there, too, in these local areas.

[00:23:14] But yeah, that's just about as dreamy a drive as I think I've ever taken in Colorado. Nice. What about you? What comes to mind for you? So one drive that really shocked me the first time I was on it was the stretch of US 50 between Gunnison and Montrose, where you're going through Curricanti National Recreation Area. You're passing over Blue Mesa Reservoir, kind of on those bridges.

[00:23:38] Just absolutely beautiful, especially when you're going through there, like, close to sunset, just kind of stretching water and hills, you know, and just kind of winding across this massive Colorado's largest body of water, right? And then you've also got Black Canyon of the Gunnison right there as well, so you can just kind of pop off. Pretty much every time I'm on that road, I still pop up to Black Canyon of the Gunnison just for a quick view, you know? Very pastoral, that drive.

[00:24:03] Yeah, that's a really cool drive that I think a lot of people miss because we think I-70, whenever you're going west in Colorado, but you can't sleep on that, you know? Yeah. Also on that part of the road, too, or on that same road on US 50, you got Bighorn Sheep Canyon, which connects Canyon City to Salida. So really, I mean, we were talking about it a few weeks ago, but you can kind of start in that Canyon City area and just take US 50 just all the way through Bighorn Sheep Canyon,

[00:24:31] over Monarch Pass, through Curricanti, all the way to Montrose, and it's just a stunning view the whole way. Yeah, with a lot of variety. It's a good pick. So we're staying on pavement? Are those the rules? Either or. There's no rules. We've got no rules. Where we're going, we don't need rules. Yes. Well, you say I-70. I mean, we, you know, in Colorado, we associate I-70 with hassle and traffic, right? But my gosh, I mean, does it get better than Glenwood Canyon?

[00:24:59] I mean, that is just absolutely breathtaking. Yeah, I mean, amen on that one. Yeah. You know what I mean? I mean, let's not forget about the marvel that is Glenwood Canyon that we just drive a highway through. You know what I mean? That is spectacular. You feel like you've been transported to some kind of fantasy driving through there. Oh, for sure. And also, so if you do want to miss a little bit of I-70, Highway 6 through Clear Creek Canyon. Uh-huh.

[00:25:28] So it connects that Floyd Hill area to Golden. A lot of people hit it whenever they're going to Blackhawk. But yeah, that is a beautiful drive. It can kind of be an alternative to I-70 during that stretch of distance. And absolutely beautiful. You're right there along the Winding Creek. Yeah. That's a favorite of mine too. Don't sleep on the Highway of Legends. Yeah. Uh-huh. From between Trinidad and La Vida. Uh-huh. That is really excellent.

[00:25:56] I think a lot of people sleep on that. I mean, you're driving through kind of, what is it, the Purgatora River there. Uh-huh. Through, you know, you really feel like Spanish history. Uh-huh. Driving through there. Highway of Legends. Yeah. In some of the most legendary chapters of Colorado. Um, going up and over past, uh, several reservoirs, uh, to the humble village of Cuchara. Right? Mm-hmm. Really great in the fall. Mm-hmm. Uh-huh. The aspen leaves are great on the Highway of Legends.

[00:26:27] Great rock outcrops. Um, connecting over to like the Spanish peaks. Yeah. Right? Yeah. Um, so yeah, like that, that country gets overlooked, I think, in Southern Colorado. Mm-hmm. But it shouldn't get overlooked. So, you mentioned a dirt road, right? A very rugged dirt road. Mm-hmm. I'm going to keep it local with two dirt roads as well. Uh-huh. Uh, the first one that I want to mention, which is technically two roads, um, coming out of Colorado Springs, take an old stage road to upper Gold Camp Road and go into Victor.

[00:26:57] Mm-hmm. And that Cripple Creek area. Beautiful drive. A little bit rugged. Conditions can vary. You probably want to be in a four-wheel drive vehicle with some high clearance, um, just depending on what those conditions are. Uh, but yeah, that. That stretch of road, you know, it's kind of this backside of Pikes Peak that a lot of people miss. Yeah. And then you're ending up in this mining country, you know? Yeah. And then from there, what you can do is, uh, you can take Phantom Canyon Road from that area down to Canyon City, uh, right? Which is another- I've never done this.

[00:27:25] It's another, you know, kind of beautiful historic road that's part of this, um, this, like, uh, the Gold Belt scenic, scenic, uh, byway, right? So it's a look at mining history in Colorado. Mm-hmm. Uh, but yeah, connecting those two roads, uh, from that, with that Victor area being kind of the main hub there. A good little drive. That's a great pick. When summer rolls around, I definitely always hope that I get to drive Independence Pass.

[00:28:03] Mm-hmm. Hike around this really fascinating rock formation where water flows sort of mysteriously in and out, and you can kind of get into, like, a cave system of sorts down there. Mm-hmm. Got to be careful. You know, there's definitely some safety involved there. The mention of rock and water, uh, merits the mention of slippery, uh, ground. But yeah, that's really pretty in there. I mean, and there's so many cool pull-offs off Independence Pass, including the old town

[00:28:31] of Independence that you can hike down into. Yeah. Yeah. That's very cool. Which, just, you know, right off the road. And a good summit on Independence Pass, you know, it's not just like a little parking lot. There's a, there's a nice space for you to kind of explore and take in a view. Yeah. Um, yeah, I mean, that was one thing I put together a list of 14 of these the other day. And I was like, I could honestly make this list 50 spots. Yeah. Um, but mountain passes alone, you know, it's like, we haven't really mentioned too many true mountain passes yet. Oh, I mean. Divide. Yeah. You've got Loveland Pass. It's beautiful. Hoosier Pass. It's beautiful.

[00:29:01] Rabbit Ears Pass. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. Moell West Pass. Um, down to Silverton and obviously you got the Million Dollar Highway going the other way. We've been talking about Million Dollar Highway. Yeah. I was holding off on that one because we've talked about it. We've talked about it so many times, you know, uh, but Million Dollar Highway, obviously maybe the most beautiful drive in Colorado. So, uh, connecting, uh, your A to, to Silverton. So gotta include that one. Um, but you do have all these mountain passes. Cottonwood Pass, right? Seasonal connecting, uh, Vita Vista to Almont area.

[00:29:30] A lot of people just drive up to the summit from BV and then head back down too. Um, so that's, that's a way that you can enjoy that road as well. Uh, Wolf Creek Pass is another one. Uh, there is one road that I think gets overlooked. That's a mountain pass though too. Tennessee Pass. Yeah. Right. Connecting Leadville to Mentor area along US 40 or US 24, uh, hits the Continental Divide at like 10,000 feet of elevation. My favorite part of this road is probably Redcliffe Bridge, which is that giant green

[00:29:58] bridge, uh, that you drive over and you almost don't notice if you're heading, uh, north on that road, uh, or at least toward Mentor on that road, uh, you almost don't notice how cool it is while you're going over it, but then you see it in the rear view mirror and you're like, Whoa, that is a cool looking bridge. Um, so yeah, I gotta, gotta give a special shout out to that one. And you got like these little cool mountain towns along the way that you can kind of stop at and, and check out, grab some lunch, uh, hit that on a motorcycle rider over the summer and it was absolutely beautiful. Nice.

[00:30:28] I think I'm right in there. Yeah. I had to look at that double check this, but yeah, another sleeper, uh, that comes to mind is Douglas Pass. Ooh. I don't even know. It goes from Grand Junction, essentially Grand Junction kind of through the desert there and essentially like over the book cliffs down into Rangeley. Wow. So we're talking like Northwest Colorado ish, right? Um, as if you're going toward dinosaur that way, which you very well can, you know, you

[00:30:55] want to hit Grand Junction and then go to dinosaur national monument. That is a very pretty way to do that. And then get into this kind of idyllic little ranching town of Rangeley that you don't hear people talking about. And if you've never heard of the tank in Rangeley, that might, we might have to talk about that on this show sometime. Yeah. We tease it today and we'll, we'll get it in there next week. There is an old, I believe it was a old water tank for the railroad. Uh, you wouldn't think nothing of it. You'd look at it and maybe you wouldn't even look at it.

[00:31:24] Uh, but a musical sensation has grown inside this tank where, yeah, there's concerts and sort of experimental sound happening inside this tank. It is a, it is a incredible story of how this was discovered and how, yeah, I mean, people are listening to this probably thinking like, what the heck is this guy talking about?

[00:31:48] Seriously, if you're in this tank, I, I gotta think about how to describe the sound happening inside this tank. Yeah. It's nuts. Look it up. Look it up. Yeah. This is a well-known venue now. I've, I've heard you talk about it. I've heard multiple people talk about it and it seems wacky in a good way. Like it seems like just one of those experiences where it's like, you gotta be there to really take it in. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and people are kind of at a loss for words in a sense. Yeah.

[00:32:16] Anyone talked about where it's like, it's hard to describe how cool it is, but yeah. And it opened my eyes to the niche world of Sonic, what do they call themselves? Sonic specialists or something. People very interested in sound and the boundaries and limits of sound. And those are the people who have kind of helped elevate this random tank in this old ranching town, Colorado. Yeah. We should talk about that. That's a, that's a, that's a funny one. We'll tease it for next week. Um, yeah. Also next week we still got on our list, uh, which I'm not going to get into it today

[00:32:45] because, uh, we are running a little bit short on time. Um, but, uh, Colorado was dubbed, uh, one of the most, um, I guess overhyped, uh, movie spots in the, in the country where, uh, people were, uh, kind of disappointed with Colorado after seeing it in the movies. Right. And I'll tell you why next week. So I'm not going to, not going to make the reveal there. I think I kind of know where that discussion is going. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:33:14] And I mean, it's, uh, it's pretty obvious once I say it, but next week we'll talk about that. Right. Um, also talk about this, uh, dinosaur track site that people need to put on their hiking list this summer. That is not the, uh, picket wire Canyonlands track site. It's a different one. So this one has a mountain view. So, um, cool. Yeah. I mean, with that, I think that's about all we got today. So until next time I'm Spencer. I'm Seth. We'll see you out there.